The advent of the use of plastic grocery bags with integral loop type handles has created handling problems; both in the retail stores on the part of clerks and "baggers" and on the part of consumers. The in-store problems have been alleviated by means of the use of newly designed and installed holding fixtures, generally supporting the bag by its integral loop type handle in a location accessible to the check out counter and its clerk. Such devices are typified by U.S. Pat. No. 4,623,111 issued to R.D. Prader on Nov. 18, 1986, for a Wire Holder for Handled Plastic Bags; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,458,867 issued to J.J. Malik on July 10, 1984 for a Wire Rack Bag Holding Device. U.S. Pat. No. 4,579,307 was also issued to J.J. Malik on Apr. 1, 1986, for a Wire Rack for Plastic Bag.
All of these patents appear to disclose wire racks which may be fastened or installed in a fixed location and each of them would appear to resolve the handling problems within a place of business where such bags are initially loaded with goods. However, a new problem must be faced when a consumer must transport the filled bag to an ultimate destination. If such loaded or filled bags are placed in the trunk of an automobile, on the floor of a station wagon or in a pickup truck bed, the bag tends to collapse and spill its contents. While the basic problem also applies to the older more conventional paper grocery bags, the paper bags are inherently stiffer and do not demonstrate the problem to the same extent as the more recently introduced loop handled plastic bags. However, the problem was present with the older style paper bags and U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,189,056 issued to E.J. Majewski on Feb. 19, 1980 for a Knock-Down Portable Shopping Rack; U.S. Pat. No. 4,226,348 issued to F.A. Dutter et al. on Oct. 7, 1980, for an Automobile Trunk Contained Grocery Bag Holder; U.S. Pat. No. 4,305,519 issued to G. Gerich on Dec. 15, 1981 for a Collapsible Holder for Grocery Bags; U.S. Pat. No. 4,372,512 issued to W.R. Wolfe on Feb. 8, 1983 for a Bag Supporting Apparatus; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,746,041 issued to L.R. Cooke et al. on May 24, 1988, for an All Purpose Convertible Rack all represent efforts to resolve the problem with respect to transportation of paper filled bags. However, none of these inventions are adaptable for use with the newer plastic bags fitted with integral loop handles.